Trump Is Flailing While Iran Calls The Shots
William Hague in The Times is generally a good read and today’s piece on the US and Iran negotiations, is no exception.
After this sub-heading.
US negotiations displayed hopeless naivety and for all the tough talk now, the president keeps showing he’ll back down
He then starts the article with these two paragraphs.
A month ago, when I read the memorandum agreed by the US and Iran to end the war between them, I literally gasped with surprise. To anyone who has ever been in negotiations with the Iranians, as I was over nuclear issues a decade ago, the concessions made to them seemed extraordinary.
Most striking was that the US is to develop a plan “with at least $300 billion” for the economic development of Iran — a huge incentive to keep the peace but also a colossal subsidy for a regime that President Trump had only weeks earlier set out to destroy.
Is this $300 billion money from the US Treasury, the oil sheikhs’ underwear drawers or from tariffs on uninvolved countries like the UK, Germany, China and Canada?
How many citizens of the UK would sign up for the deal?
About three I would think and two of them would be Nigel and Farage.
The rest of the article is very much a worthwhile read and it finishes with this concluding paragraph.
There have been obvious costs to the war — increased inflation, severe disruption to the Gulf states and of course loss of life. But what we are seeing this week is the cost of the concessions made to get out of it, with much more to come.
We will all be paying more to live our lives, because Donald Trump wanted the Nobel Peace Prize. All he deserves is a pointed hat with a D on it.
There Was Only One Lion Of Vienna, But Fifteen Lions Were Too Much For Mexico, The Crowd And The Officials
One of my earliest memories of football in the 1950s, is the exploits of England centre-forward Nat Lofthouse of Bolton Wanderers.
- I have vague memories of watching the 1953 Matthews Final on our first television, where Lofthouse was on the losing Bolton side.
- I don’t have any memory of the infamous game for England, that gave Lofthouse his nickname.
- But I do remember the controversial 1958 Cup Final between Bolton and Manchester United, which came three months after the Munich disaster. The final was controversial because Lofthouse barged the Manchester United goalkeeper; Harry Gregg into the net for the second goal, in their 2-0 win.
But football was a much tougher game in the 1950s.
The Lion Of Vienna
This except from Lofthouse’s Wikipedia entry, explains how he received his nickname.
On 25 May 1952, Lofthouse earned the title ‘Lion of Vienna’ after scoring his second goal in England’s 3–2 victory over Austria. In doing so he was elbowed in the face, tackled from behind, and finally brought down by the goalkeeper.
I’m afraid some of the tactics of the Mexicans needed more punishment than the officials gave them. And where did the officials conjure up eleven minutes of added time from?
Perhaps Trump had promised a nice holiday in one of his resorts, if they could not stand in the way of a Mexico-USA final, or at least ensure, that England didn’t progress to the quarter-finals.
After all FIFA rescinded a red card for USA’s star forward. Read about this surprising decision in this article on the BBC, which is entitled Red Card System In Disarray Over Trump, Fifa And Balogun Decision.
Thomas Tuchel On The Officials
This article on the Independent is entitled Thomas Tuchel Hits Out At Mexico v England Referee In Furious Rant: ‘Everything Went Against Us’.
Carlos Queiroz Has An Excellent cv For Coaching A Good African Team In A North American World Cup
Carlos Queiroz is the head coach of Ghana in the 2026 World Cup.
I have just read his Wikipedia entry.
These are a few points.
- He was born in Mozambique.
- He is 73, which is older than I thought.
- He played professional football as a goalkeeper, which is unusual for a well-respected coach.
- He was a successful coach of young players and won the Youth World Cup twice with Portugal.
- He has coached at a top-level in the United States and Japan.
- Queiroz is a graduate of the University of Lisbon.
- He has managed the Portuguese National team.
- He authored the Q-Report, detailing plans to professionalize the development of footballers in the United States.
- He has coached Real Madrid
- He coached at Manchester United alongside Alex Ferguson.
- He has also coached the national teams of Columbia, Egypt and Iran.
I must admit with a cv like that, I’m surprised he hasn’t managed a Premier League team, that’s in serious trouble of relegation.
World Cup 2026: Fans To Pay $150 For Train Ticket To Stadium
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on DW.com.
This is the sub-heading.
Transportation costs for World Cup fans traveling to US stadiums could be more than 10 times higher than regular fares. Local officials and FIFA bosses are trading blame for the increased prices while fans feel fleeced
These three paragraphs add some detail.
Football fans trying to get to MetLife Stadium from New York City for the World Cup matches this summer will have to pay $150 (€127) for a round-trip, according to local transportation officials.
The price is almost 12 times higher than the usual $12.90 fare for the 15-minute trip from Penn Station in Manhattan to the stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
“We are going to charge $150 for our roundtrip ticket on our system. So from New York to MetLife, MetLife back to New York,” said Kris Kolluri, the president and CEO of NJ Transit.
For less than the equivalent of $150 dollars, I could get a ticket from my house to any of the Premier League grounds in England and some will take a lot longer than 15 minutes.
Welcome to Trumpland, where the World Cup is primarily to make money.
Ocasio-Cortez, Markey Ask Trump Admin To Explain Paying TotalEnergies USD 1 Billion ‘In Taxpayer Money’ To Drop Offshore Wind Projects
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on offshoreWIND.biz.
This is the sub-heading.
US lawmakers Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Ed Markey have sent a letter to Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum on the plan by the Trump administration to pay nearly USD 1 billion to TotalEnergies to cancel offshore wind projects off the US East Coast, calling on the administration to stop the payment and explain the legal basis and funding source for the proposed transfer.
These four paragraphs add detail to the story.
As reported recently, the US government’s agreement with TotalEnergies concerns the company’s exit from offshore wind development in the country by relinquishing leases for projects off New York/New Jersey and North Carolina, for which the administration intends to pay approximately USD 928 million.
The agreement also stipulates that TotalEnergies would redirect that money to oil & gas projects in the US. The company, in a press release issued after signing the agreement with the government, indicated that it would invest proceeds from the payment into a liquefied natural gas export facility in Texas and other oil and gas activities in the US that will support both domestic supply and the demand in Europe.
As reported recently, the US government’s agreement with TotalEnergies concerns the company’s exit from offshore wind development in the country by relinquishing leases for projects off New York/New Jersey and North Carolina, for which the administration intends to pay approximately USD 928 million.
The agreement also stipulates that TotalEnergies would redirect that money to oil & gas projects in the US. The company, in a press release issued after signing the agreement with the government, indicated that it would invest proceeds from the payment into a liquefied natural gas export facility in Texas and other oil and gas activities in the US that will support both domestic supply and the demand in Europe.
Trump may have got what he wanted and stopped development of wind farms, but at what cost to US taxpayers?
Out of curiosity, I asked Google AI, “Which LNG Terminal In Texas Have TotalEnergies Agreed To Develop”, And Received This Answer.
TotalEnergies has agreed to develop and invest in the Rio Grande LNG (RGLNG) project located in South Texas.
Key details regarding TotalEnergies’ involvement include:
Partnership: In June 2023, TotalEnergies signed a framework agreement with NextDecade Corporation to participate in the development of the Rio Grande LNG project.
Ownership and Phase 1: TotalEnergies holds a 16.67% stake in the first phase of the project, which includes three liquefaction trains with an annual capacity of 17.5 million tons per annum (Mtpa).
Offtake Agreement: TotalEnergies has agreed to purchase 5.4 million tons per annum (Mtpa) of LNG from Phase 1 for 20 years.
Expansion (Train 4): As of September 2025, TotalEnergies has reached a Final Investment Decision (FID) for a 10% stake in the joint venture developing Train 4 of the Rio Grande LNG facility.
NextDecade Stake: TotalEnergies also acquired a 17.5% stake in NextDecade Corporation, the developer of the project.
The Rio Grande LNG project is located in Brownsville, Texas, and is expected to contribute to TotalEnergies’ goal of expanding its U.S. LNG export capacity to 15 million tons annually by 2030.
I shall be watching this project. Especially, as several new techniques have come forward in the last few months.
Do British And German Offshore Wind Farm Generate Maximum Power At Different Times
In National Grid, TenneT Germany Launch GriffinLink, A First Of A Find Project To Maximise Offshore Wind, I discussed GriffinLink, which will be an offshore link between British and German offshore wind farms.
Somebody has asked me if wind farms are in phase with each other, as obviously this would effect how they perform and are are controlled.
So I asked Google AI, the question in the title of this post and received this reply.
Yes, British and German offshore wind farms often generate their maximum power at different times, although they are both located in the North Sea and share similar peak seasons. The variations in generation are driven by localized weather patterns, specifically the movement of low-pressure systems.
Key Differences in Generation Times:
Regional Weather Patterns: While North Sea wind farms are often closely correlated, significant differences arise when weather systems move from west to east. Wind often hits the UK’s North Sea sites first, meaning they may hit maximum generation capacity hours before German or Danish sites, which are further east.
Time of Day (Diurnal Differences): Because UK wind farms are located in the Irish Sea, the Scottish coast, and the North Sea, they can exhibit different diurnal (daily) peak times compared to German sites in the North Sea and Baltic Sea.
Seasonal Peaks: Both countries experience the highest output during winter months (e.g., December). However, during specific, localized, long-lasting high-pressure systems (“Dunkelflaute”), one country might experience a complete drop in wind while the other continues to produce, or vice versa.
Why They Differ:
Geography: The UK’s extensive, spread-out coastline (Irish Sea, Atlantic coast, North Sea) offers a different wind profile than the more concentrated German offshore projects in the North Sea and Baltic Sea.
Correlation Challenges: Research shows that while North Sea countries have similar wind profiles, there is not 100% correlation. Meteorological differences in how wind speeds behave across the North Sea allow for complementary production.
This difference is highly advantageous for European energy security, as it allows for the balancing of intermittent wind power across the region.
The conclusion from Google AI, is almost predicting that GriffinLink will be developed. From my experience of mathematical modelling the cost and financial benefits should be fairly easy to predict.
Will The UK And The Republic Of Ireland Link Their Offshore Wind Farms To Improve Efficiency?
This may seem an obvious idea, especially as UK and Republic of Ireland are heavily interconnected.
So I asked Google AI, the question in the title of this section and received this reply.
Yes, the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland are taking significant, active steps to link their offshore wind farms and electricity grids to improve efficiency, increase renewable energy production, and enhance energy security. Following a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed in September 2023, the two countries are collaborating on developing subsea energy infrastructure in the Irish and Celtic Seas.
Here are the key details regarding this cooperation:
Deepened Collaboration: As of March 2025, the UK and Ireland are working on a new data-sharing arrangement to lay the groundwork for directly connecting offshore wind farms to each other’s national energy networks.
Offshore Hybrid Assets (OHAs): The plans include developing offshore hybrid assets, which are subsea cables that directly link offshore wind farms to both countries’ grids, reducing infrastructure costs and maximizing efficiency.
Subsea Mapping & Interconnection: Both nations are mapping the Celtic Sea to identify optimal locations for interconnectors and to improve the interoperability of their grids.
Existing & New Projects: While Ireland’s current interconnection to the UK is limited (approx. 500MW), capacity is planned to increase significantly. Specific projects like Mares Connect (linking North Wales and Ireland) are being developed to provide750MW of additional capacity.
Regional Cooperation: Ireland is also participating in the “Hamburg Declaration” (signed Jan 2026), joining the UK and other North Sea countries to commit to 300GW of offshore wind by 2050 through shared, regional infrastructure.
This cooperation aims to allow Ireland to export its surplus renewable energy during high generation, while benefiting from the UK’s robust grid during lower wind conditions.
Will The UK AndNorway Link Their Offshore Wind Farms To Improve Efficiency?
As we have interconnectors with Norway, I asked Google AI, the question in the title of this section and received this reply.
Yes, the UK and Norway are actively planning and implementing initiatives to link their offshore wind farms and electricity grids to improve efficiency, energy security, and grid balancing. Following a series of agreements, including a major pact in January 2026, the two countries are collaborating on “hybrid” projects that connect offshore wind sites directly to multiple countries.
It does look like that the co-operations between the UK and Germany, Norway and the Republic of Ireland are setting examples that should be copied all over the world.
But then, you should always follow the mathematics.
But somehow, I can’t see President Trump signing any windmill co-operation with his neighbours.
Trump Revokes Landmark Ruling That Greenhouse Gases Endanger Public Health
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on the BBC.
This is the sub-heading.
US President Donald Trump has reversed a key Obama-era scientific ruling that underpins all federal actions on curbing planet-warming gases.
These three paragraphs add more details to the story.
The so-called 2009 “endangerment finding” concluded that a range of greenhouse gases were a threat to public health. It’s become the legal bedrock of federal efforts to rein in emissions, especially in vehicles.
The White House called the reversal the “largest deregulation in American history”, saying it would make cars cheaper, bringing down costs for automakers by $2,400 per vehicle.
Environmental groups say the move is by far the most significant rollback on climate change yet attempted and are set to challenge it in the courts.
By invoking scientifically incorrect leglislation like this Trump is going to make things a lot worse.
Lets hope his proposed legislation goes the way of his stop to the building of the five wind farms, that I wrote about in All Five Halted US Offshore Wind Farms Resume Construction.
All Five Halted US Offshore Wind Farms Resume Construction
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on offshoreWIND.biz.
This is the sub-heading.
All five US offshore wind farms under construction that received stop-work orders from the US government have been cleared to continue building, with Ørsted’s Sunrise Wind project the fifth project to be granted a preliminary injunction as part of a lawsuit challenging the order issued by the Director of the Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) on 22 December 2025.
I would have loved to have been a fly on the wall of the Oval Office in the White House, as what words could the dumbest United States President of my lifetime possibly use to put any positive spin on such an overwhelming five-round defeat, where he was screwed, glued and tattooed to borrow an expression from Brian, who was one of my favourite accountants.
This table summarises the five wind farms.
- Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind-Commercial – 2600 MW – Operation in 2027.
- Empire Wind 1 – 816 MW – Operation in 2026.
- Revolution Wind – 704 MW – Operation in 2026.
- Sunrise Wind – 924 MW – Operation in 2027.
- Vineyard Wind 1 – 804 MW – Operation in late 2026.
The five farms total nearly 6 GW.
This is what Google AI says about the usefulness of 6 GW to power typical United States houses.
6 gigawatts (GW) of power can supply approximately 5 million US homes, based on recent large-scale energy capacity deals. Depending on energy efficiency and regional usage, this capacity typically translates to around 750,000 homes per 1 GW, meaning 6 GW can cover a range of roughly 4.5 million to 5 million households.
I doubt Trump will give up gracefully.
US Federal Court Clears Revolution Wind To Resume Construction As Ørsted, Skyborn’s Lawsuit Against Stop-Work Orders Progresses
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on offshoreWIND.biz.
This is the sub-heading.
The US District Court for the District of Columbia has granted the preliminary injunction sought by the joint venture between Ørsted and Skyborn Renewables for the Revolution Wind project, which was ordered to pause construction by the US government. When the stop-work order was issued on 22 December 2025, the 704 MW project had seven wind turbines left to install.
This paragraph adds more detail.
The underlying lawsuit that the Revolution Wind joint venture filed against the first stop-work order issued for the offshore wind farm on 22 August 2025, which was supplemented to also challenge the 22 December 2025 order, continues to progress in the court, while the preliminary injunction will allow the construction activities to restart immediately.
Note.
- Ørsted said on the 12th January 2026, that they would resume work as soon as practically possible.
- Ørsted have also said that the project is approximately 87 per cent complete and was expected to begin generating power this month.
- In New York Attorney General Files Lawsuits Against Trump Admin’s Stop-Work Orders For Empire Wind, Sunrise Wind, Trump is also facing a second legal action over offshore wind.
It does seem that we are seeing what happens, when the irresistible force that is Trump meets the immovable force, that is United States law.
New York Attorney General Files Lawsuits Against Trump Admin’s Stop-Work Orders For Empire Wind, Sunrise Wind
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on offshoreWIND.biz.
This is the sub-heading.
New York Attorney General (AG) Letitia James has filed two lawsuits against what the AG says is “the Trump administration’s unlawful attempt to halt construction” on Empire Wind 1 and Sunrise Wind, two large-scale offshore wind projects being built in the US federal waters off New York.
These three paragraphs add more detail.
In the lawsuits, filed simultaneously for the two projects in the US District Court for the District of Columbia on 9 January, Attorney General James argues that the stop-work orders fail to explain the federal government’s change in position and to provide a genuine justification for the suspension. This makes the orders “arbitrary and capricious, in violation of the Administrative Procedure Act”, says the New York AG, whose lawsuit is asking the court to declare the stop-work orders unlawful and block their enforcement.
Pointing out that the two offshore wind farms are expected to power more than one million New York homes, the Attorney General says pausing them could threaten the state’s economy and energy grid, as well as the jobs created by the projects, which currently employ thousands of workers and have already invested billions of US dollars.
Furthermore, the New York AG emphasised that both Empire Wind 1 and Sunrise Wind had undergone more than a decade of extensive review by federal, state, and local authorities, including environmental impact analysis, public comment periods, and coordination with numerous federal agencies, including the US Department of Defense.
I’m no lawyer, but I do think that the New York Attorney General has a good case.
The Anonymous Widower 